Bonding is a quick and painless way to repair chips in your teeth. Bonding uses a white plastic paste, called composite resin - a plastic that is semi-liquid at first, but that becomes hard and durable when cured with light.

This material can be tinted to match the colour of natural teeth and can also be contoured and shaped to resemble the missing part of a chipped tooth. It can be painted over a stained tooth, and it can make a fractured tooth look whole and perfect. Composite resin can even build up the size of teeth so gaps between them are reduced or eliminated.

The advantages of bonding are:

• Completed at one appointment
• Beautiful esthetic result
• Control over shade of the restoration
• Control over shape of the restoration

The disadvantages of bonding are:

• They have a tendency to chip, stain or crack
• May require replacement after 5 years
• Initial cost is lower, but repeated replacement over the
  years increases the cost.

A good esthetic alternative to bonding, that addresses the
disadvantages of bonding, is the use of porcelain veneers.